Unplugged Wedding Ceremonies – Wedding Wednesday

Today I’m making the case for unplugged wedding ceremonies. True, having cell phone cameras or iPads in the frame of any photograph is a pet peeve of pretty much every wedding photographer. But the case I’ll make today is about so much more than that.

You’ve set aside a certain amount of money to fund your wedding. Or your mom & dad or partner’s mom & dad have graciously offered to pay for your wedding or portions of it. You want to invest your / their money wisely.

You appreciate professional photography and understand that the photographs from your wedding day will last the rest of your life. You know these images will be the only things that will tell the complete story of your wedding. The day might pass as a blur, but your photographer will make sure you have those moments to savor & cherish for years to come. These photos are what you’ll show your children, grandchildren, and what they will show people when they tell the story of your family. They will decorate the walls of your home & your children’s homes one day. They’re precious mementos.

Because you love & appreciate professional photography, this is where you will spend a significant amount of your wedding budget. You are going to invest in a photographer who cares about your vision and wants to capture the fun & joy you’ll experience on your wedding day in the most beautiful way.

You are also in love & excited to get married! You are thrilled to have your family & friends join you on this day to celebrate your love. You want to feel the warmth of their support, know they’re tearing up as you say your vows, and be energized by their clapping when you’re pronounced married!

These are all reasons why you will want to celebrate with something that is thankfully becoming more common: unplugged wedding ceremonies.

You want your guests fully present and engaged, not distracted by making sure they get a good shot or leaning over or in front of another guest to get the right angle for their cellphone pic. You want to set up your photographer to capture the most meaningful, romantic, joyful, funny, love-infused moments of your ceremony. That’s difficult to do when guests are holding up their cellphones or leaning into the aisles with their iPads or jumping in front of the professional with their point & shoot. You want the professional to be able to do the job you have paid them thousands of dollars to do.

I didn’t want to share images of people with their iPads or cellphones blocking special moments at weddings I’ve photographed (this has happened a lot!). I don’t want to shame anyone. Instead, I’m sharing some of my favorite shots of cherished wedding moments that I was able to capture because they weren’t blocked. Hopefully this will help make the case for you to have one of the best unplugged wedding ceremonies!